fiat
Americannoun
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an authoritative decree, sanction, or order.
a royal fiat.
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a fixed form of words containing the word fiat, by which a person in authority gives sanction, or authorization.
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an arbitrary decree or pronouncement, especially by a person or group of persons having absolute authority to enforce it.
The king ruled by fiat.
noun
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official sanction; authoritative permission
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an arbitrary order or decree
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literary any command, decision, or act of will that brings something about
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fiat
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin: “let it be done,” 3rd-person singular present subjunctive of fierī “to become”
Explanation
You might think a fiat is just an Italian car, but it actually means a legal, authoritative decision that has absolute sanction. From the Latin for "let it be done," the word fiat is a binding edict issued by a person in command. It can gain an almost Biblical aura of authority, like a movie Pharaoh saying, "So let it be written, so let it be done." So let it be a fiat.
Vocabulary lists containing fiat
"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
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This Week In Words: January 4–10, 2020
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Texas v. Johnson (1989)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It looks like the so-called debasement trade, fleeing the dollar and other fiat currencies for gold, is over for now.
From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026
In a fiat money economy, the mere fact of making a loan creates the money needed.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
He noted the erosion of trust in the fiat system, the unprecedented money printing and the accumulation of sovereign debt.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
If the justice were genuinely worried about this possibility, one would not expect him to erase a key safeguard against it by judicial fiat.
From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026
Idly looking beyond the fire, he resettled the scattered rocks from their fiat shadows into daylight contours.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
